A blog devoted to the discussion of the greatest movies ever made, or The Essential Films. From the beginning of cinema history to present day, these films are crucial to the education of anyone who loves the art of film making.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Over the last 88 years many films have been honored by the Academy Awards as being the year's best. However, every year there seems to be controversy over the announcement of the nominations and especially the morning after the winners are announced at the annual ceremony. Outrage over what films did not win Best Picture, outrage over what actor or actress didn't win their category, and, often, outrage over certain films not even being recognized with a nomination. This list, presented in chronological order, is comprised of the losers, the snubbed, the shut out and the ignored. These are the 100 Greatest Films to Never Win an Oscar. When we say Oscar, we don't just mean Best Picture... we mean ANY category. So while there are still cinephiles who are still angry that Citizen Kane lost to How Green Was My Valley, Kane did at least walk way with one statue (for screenplay.) This is exclusively a list for films that have zero Oscar statues to brag about. To be eligible for this list, a film had to have been released between 1927 (the year the Academy started recognizing films for the first Oscars ceremony) and 2014. With that, enjoy the list...

METROPOLIS

1927 • Fritz Lang

1927/28 Best Picture Winner:

Wings

Oscar Nominations:

None

THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC

1928 • Carl Theodor Dreyer

1928/29 Best Picture Winner:

The Broadway Melody

Oscar Nominations:

None

M

1931 • Fritz Lang

(Eligible for Academy Awards in 1933)

1932/1933 Best Picture Winner

Cavalcade

Oscar Nominations:

None

CITY LIGHTS

1931 • Charles Chaplin

1930/31 Best Picture Winner:

Cimarron

Oscar Nominations:

None

MODERN TIMES

1936 • Charles Chaplin

1936 Best Picture Winner:

The Great Ziegfeld

Oscar Nominations:

None.

MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW

1937 • Leo McCarey

1937 Best Picture Winner:

The Life of Emile Zola

Oscar Nominations:

None

GRAND ILLUSION

(La Grande Illusion)

1937 • Jean Renoir

(Eligible for Academy Awards in 1938)

1938 Best Picture Winner:

You Can't Take it With You.

Oscar Nominations:

Best Picture

THE GREAT DICTATOR

1940 • Charles Chaplin

1940 Best Picture Winner:

Rebecca

Oscar Nominations:

Best Picture

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Charles Chaplin (Lost to James Stewart for The Philadelphia Story)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Jack Oakie (Lost to Walter Brennan for The Westerner)

Best Writing, Original Screenplay: Charles Chaplin (Lost to Preston Sturges for The Great McGinty)